NSW Farmers is disappointed for the grass fed cattle industry with the outcome of today's Cattle Council of Australia Special General Meeting.
Following Tuesday's Special General Meeting, Cattle Council Australia announced it would establish Cattle Australia on November 4, a new peak cattle body which NSW Farmers held grave concerns about.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the draft constitution for the new body created an inequitable and undemocratic voting system for cattle producers, as well as other dysfunctional clauses.
"Under the new constitution, vote allocation will go off how many cattle you have. We want a system where it's one vote per cattle producer, instead of based off cattle numbers," Mr Martin said.
"Our priority throughout this process has been our cattle-producing members and making sure farmers get the best outcome."
Mr Martin said NSW Farmers remained committed to strong national representation for the grass-fed cattle industry.
"Our members want a truly democratic model with policy process certainty and a functional business plan," Mr Martin said.
"What has been voted for today is inconsistent with our cattle members' policy expectations, and we want to consult with our members before we make any further decisions.
"We have been eager to discuss these concerns and find a constructive way forward in a timely manner, but that is now out of our hands. NSW Farmers is keeping its options open when it comes to representation of the grass-fed cattle industry, and we will make further statements about next steps in the near future."
